Octavio Solis, author of Santos & Santos and La Posada Magica, is the winner of the 2002 Latino Playwright Award sponsored by Arizona Theatre Company and Centro Cultural Mexicano de Phoenix. The annual award, the eighth granted by ATC, includes a $1,000 prize and possible inclusion in the company's GENESIS: New Play Reading Series.

Solis' drama, entitled Bethlehem, pits a free-lance reporter against a killer-rapist recently released from prison. While Lee thinks he has the story of a lifetime that will revive his sagging career, he doesn't realize that Mateo's dark soul has a few things to teach him about his own past.

Runners-up are Michael John Garces' Customs and Anne Garcia-Romero's Earthquake Chica. Both will receive a $200 prize, he for a drama about the violence caused by US government agencies' interaction with foreign interests and she for a poetic play about the romance between feisty secretary Esmeralda and shy accountant Sam.

Entries for 2003's competition are being accepted through Dec. 30, 2002. Scripts may be in English, Spanish and English or in Spanish only (such plays must include an English translation).

To submit, mail a securely bound script with a one-page cover letter, describing the play's developmental history and other relevant information about the play. Send the manuscript to Arizona Theatre Company/National Latino Playwriting Award/Attn: Elaine Romero, Playwright-in-Residence/40 East 14th Street/Tuscon, AZ 85701. The winner will be notified Aug. 1, 2003. — By Christine Ehren